: In at least two districts of south Bengal, the progress to improve health facilities is slow and directionless, according to reports prepared by the concerned district administration. The situation is pitiable even though Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee promised in January 2014 to provide better health services for the rural poor in Bengal.
Many proposed health infrastructure projects announced by the State Government including super specialty hospitals are making slow progress.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2014 had stated that being true to the Chief Minister’s words the State Government had initiated the process of setting up seven super specialty hospitals in several districts and expressed hope that the condition of health facilities will improve soon. However, a very sorry state of affairs of health infrastructure in at least two districts, Bankura and Paschim Medinipur, was stated in recent reports submitted by the concerned disstrict administration to the government.
As per the report — copy of which is with The Hindu — the work for the proposed super specialty hospital at Salbani town in Paschim Medinipur district has made only 28 per cent progress.
As for the super specialty hospital that was to come up at Ghatal subdivision in the same district progress is relatively steady.
Fifty eight per cent work has been done, the report says. In Bankura, the TMC government announced that it would set up four super specialty hospitals in Onda, Chhatna, Barjora and Bishnupur area. None of the four proposed projects have been completed yet. While the work for the proposed hospitals in both Onda and Chhatna areas in the district had made only 50 per cent progress, in Barjora and Bishnupur respectively 90 per cent and 40 per cent work has been done.
However, the sorry state of affairs in terms of health infrastructure was not confined to the unfinished super specialty hospital projects.
Among the 14,068 Anganwadi centres in the two districts more than 46 per cent did not have their own building.
While in Paschim Medinipur district, 4,102 out of the 8,720 Anganwadi centres had to function without their own building, in Bankura 2,465 out of the 5,348 Anwanwadi centres did not have their own accommodation.
In Bankura there were 66 Anganwadi centres which had to function in “open space” and without any kind of accommodation whatsoever. “There is shortage of personnel in all Integrated Child Development Services (under which Anganwadi centres are run) in the district,” the report states. The district was also facing a shortage of Anganwadi workers. Out of the 11,370 sanctioned posts, 1,772 were vacant.
Bankura district is facing a shortage of Anganwadi workers. Out of the 11,370 sanctioned posts, 1,772 were vacant
